644 research outputs found
Developmental constraints on learning artificial grammars with fixed, flexible and free word order
Human learning, although highly flexible and efficient, is constrained in ways that facilitate or impede the acquisition of certain systems of information. Some such constraints, active during infancy and childhood, have been proposed to account for the apparent ease with which typically developing children acquire language. In a series of experiments, we investigated the role of developmental constraints on learning artificial grammars with a distinction between shorter and relatively frequent words (‘function words,’ F-words) and longer and less frequent words (‘content words,’ C-words). We constructed 4 finite-state grammars, in which the order of F-words, relative to C-words, was either fixed (F-words always occupied the same positions in a string), flexible (every F-word always followed a C-word), or free. We exposed adults (N = 84) and kindergarten children (N = 100) to strings from each of these artificial grammars, and we assessed their ability to recognize strings with the same structure, but a different vocabulary. Adults were better at recognizing strings when regularities were available (i.e., fixed and flexible order grammars), while children were better at recognizing strings from the grammars consistent with the attested distribution of function and content words in natural languages (i.e., flexible and free order grammars). These results provide evidence for a link between developmental constraints on learning and linguistic typology
Constraints on Language Learning : behavioral and neurocognitive studies with adults and children
This thesis will contribute to a body of experimental work addressing the question of whether language learning plays a role in certain fundamental design properties of natural languages. Methodologically, this thesis seeks to extend the artificial language learning paradigm, investigating whether learners are sensitive to the constraints embodied by key properties of languages. For example, we will explore whether communicative pressure influences the final outcome of language learning, namely how the structures that are acquired by individuals are transmitted to downstream generations.
We will also explore how basic language learning constraints operate in different age groups and, importantly, cross-linguistically. Next to the behavioral experiments focusing on learning and its outcomes, we will look at preliminary electrophysiological correlates of basic compositional processing in the early stages of learning a miniature artificial language using electroencephalography (EEG). In this general introduction I will briefly discuss some of the relevant concepts and methods which will be used in three studies that constitute this thesis
Strategies for Coping with Pain in Chronic Sciatica in Patients Treated in Neurological Outpatient Clinic
Introduction: Back pain is one of the most common causes of deterioration of the psychophysical condition in people. The pain becomes a source of stress for patients and that is why they activate strategies to cope with it. These are the behaviours that patients undertake independently in difficult situations. The aim of this paper was to learn strategies for coping with sciatic pain using the example of patients of the Neurological Outpatient Clinic.
Materials and methods: The research was carried out by means of diagnostic survey.
The research tools were as follows: own questionnaire, Coping with Pain Strategy questionnaire. The research was carried out among patients of the Outpatient Neurological Clinic BCO of the City Hospital named after John Paul II in Bielsko-Biała in the period from March to September 2017. Before the beginning of the study, the consent of the director of the BCO Municipal Hospital named after John Paul II in Bielsko-Biała was obtained to carry out the research.
Findings: The strategies of coping with pain which the respondents chose most frequently were increased behavioural activity, declared coping and diverting attention, the patients were least likely to choose the catastrophizing strategy, re-evaluating pain and ignoring the sensations.
Conclusions: Among the strategies for coping with pain in patients with sciatica, the behavioural strategy was dominant, i.e. increased behavioural activity, then the respondents chose the cognitive techniques: declared coping and diverting attention. The type of strategies implemented was influenced by: the time elapsed from the diagnosis of sciatica, the severity of pain and sex of the patient.
Keywords: chronic sciatica, strategies for coping with pain, chronic disease
Diet of the grey wolf Canis lupus in Roztocze and Solska Forest, south-east Poland
The diet composition and prey selection of grey wolves (Canis lupus) inhabiting the Roztocze and Solska Forest (south-east Poland) was studied based on an analysis of scats collected in 2001-2002 (n = 84) and 2017-2020 (n = 302). In both periods, wolves preyed mainly on wild ungulates (96.5-96.7% of consumed biomass). Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) was the most critical wolf prey accounting for 57.8% of consumed biomass in 2001-2002 and 49.2% and 2017-2020, but wolves positively select only wild boar (Jacob's selectivity index D = 0.213 in 2001-2002 and 0.710 in 2017-2020) and fallow deer (D = 0.588 only in 2017-2020). The largest species – moose Alces alces and red deer Cervus elaphus – were consumed less than expected from their share in the ungulate community. Predation on medium-sized wild mammals and domestic animals was low, 0.8-2.2% and 1.1-2.7% of the biomass consumed, respectively. The breadth of the wolf diet was very narrow and identical in both study periods (B = 1.07), while the similarity of diet composition was high (α = 0.999). This study indicated the stability of the wolf diet over two decades and the importance of wild boar as a food source for this carnivore
Combined QCD and electroweak analysis of HERA data
A simultaneous fit of parton distribution functions (PDFs) and electroweak
parameters to HERA data on deep inelastic scattering is presented. The input
data are the neutral current and charged current inclusive cross sections which
were previously used in the QCD analysis leading to the HERAPDF2.0 PDFs. In
addition, the polarisation of the electron beam was taken into account for the
ZEUS data recorded between 2004 and 2007. Results on the vector and
axial-vector couplings of the Z boson to u- and d-type quarks, on the value of
the electroweak mixing angle and the mass of the W boson are presented. The
values obtained for the electroweak parameters are in agreement with Standard
Model predictions.Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev. D. Small corrections
from proofing process and small change to Fig. 12 and Table
Limits on the effective quark radius from inclusive scattering at HERA
The high-precision HERA data allows searches up to TeV scales for Beyond the
Standard Model contributions to electron-quark scattering. Combined
measurements of the inclusive deep inelastic cross sections in neutral and
charged current scattering corresponding to a luminosity of around 1
fb have been used in this analysis. A new approach to the beyond the
Standard Model analysis of the inclusive data is presented; simultaneous
fits of parton distribution functions together with contributions of "new
physics" processes were performed. Results are presented considering a finite
radius of quarks within the quark form-factor model. The resulting 95% C.L.
upper limit on the effective quark radius is cm.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Phys. Lett.
Search for a narrow baryonic state decaying to and in deep inelastic scattering at HERA
A search for a narrow baryonic state in the and
system has been performed in collisions at HERA with the ZEUS detector
using an integrated luminosity of 358 pb taken in 2003-2007. The search
was performed with deep inelastic scattering events at an centre-of-mass
energy of 318 GeV for exchanged photon virtuality, , between 20 and 100
. Contrary to evidence presented for such a state around 1.52
GeV in a previous ZEUS analysis using a sample of 121 pb taken in
1996-2000, no resonance peak was found in the invariant-mass
distribution in the range 1.45-1.7 GeV. Upper limits on the production cross
section are set.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Phys. Lett. B. Minor changes from
journal reviewing process, including a small correction to figure
Measurement of the cross-section ratio sigma_{psi(2S)}/sigma_{J/psi(1S)} in deep inelastic exclusive ep scattering at HERA
The exclusive deep inelastic electroproduction of and
at an centre-of-mass energy of 317 GeV has been studied with the ZEUS
detector at HERA in the kinematic range GeV,
GeV and GeV, where is the photon virtuality, is the
photon-proton centre-of-mass energy and is the squared four-momentum
transfer at the proton vertex. The data for GeV were taken in
the HERA I running period and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 114
pb. The data for GeV are from both HERA I and HERA II
periods and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 468 pb. The decay
modes analysed were and for the
and for the . The cross-section ratio
has been measured as a function of
and . The results are compared to predictions of QCD-inspired
models of exclusive vector-meson production.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure
Measurement of neutral current e+/-p cross sections at high Bjorken x with the ZEUS detector
The neutral current e+/-p cross section has been measured up to values of
Bjorken x of approximately 1 with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated
luminosity of 187 inv. pb of e-p and 142 inv. pb of e+p collisions at sqrt(s) =
318GeV. Differential cross sections in x and Q2, the exchanged boson
virtuality, are presented for Q2 geq 725GeV2. An improved reconstruction method
and greatly increased amount of data allows a finer binning in the high-x
region of the neutral current cross section and leads to a measurement with
much improved precision compared to a similar earlier analysis. The
measurements are compared to Standard Model expectations based on a variety of
recent parton distribution functions.Comment: 39 pages, 9 figure
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